It's safe to say that Summer is in full swing here in Los Angeles and it's been a little over a week since I got back from across the pond. To be honest, I wish I was there a little longer because I had such a beautiful time.
So I don't want to bombard you with everything touristy because I'm sure you've seen it all courtesy of social media, google, life... However it's all pretty much touristy. My choices in outfits weren't always the smartest due to London's indecisive weather which resulted in a pretty gnarly cold by the time I got to Paris... yeah. Paris is another story, reserved for a different day. So without further adieu, here is a tiny collection of photos I took during my 7 day stay in London.
We stayed in a beautiful loft in Shoreditch which isn't in central London, but is known for its "hip cool scene," not that we chose it for that reason, I don't think... Alyssa was in charge. The place was insanely quirky, fully furnished with Jesus photos in every way, shape, or form staring at you while you're in the shower (which was definitely uncomfortable), beautiful tapestry in the brightest of colors, mannequin heads, mannequin legs, hair dryer lamp light, and other really different vintage quirky out-of-this-world type of furniture. Alyssa did a great job finding this gem on Airbnb that's for sure. All in all, I loved our area because we were walking distance to a plethora of shops down Brick lane and the Old Spitafields Market, so kudos to Alyssa.
ANYWAY, back to Cereal Killer. So in the photo above you have "S'more than words," "The Lion King," and "Chocopattomus." I got "The Lion King" which was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! It was so delicious, we sort of freaked out when we saw the Lion cereal at Monoprix in Paris and bought bags and bags of it. (The luggage struggle was SO REAL on the way home.) The caramel milk makes it even more euphoric in da mouth. Oh goodness... AND THE STAFF WERE ABSOLUTE SWEETHEARTS (& total babes, but you know... whatever. *swoon* I literally told everyone that one of their employees was the most gorgeous human being I have ever laid eyes on. So much more babe-ier than Mr. Styles. Yes I said it. Sue me.) We were basically the last people to walk in and they told us they were closed, but they just couldn't resist the American accent. Kidding. So they were very accommodating and even packed up 5 cereals for take away! 10 stars for Cereal Killer!
One thing I noticed about Shoreditch is that every other person wears a leather moto jacket. I guess you could say that I fit in a little bit haha. People were so hip to the bone, I was like "am I still in Silver Lake? I can't even tell..."
One thing I was excited about was having a proper English breakfast. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite a fan, but the place we ate in, The Breakfast Club, was really cute. & everyone knows that I am a sucker for a great interior.
I don't want to go on and on about LUSH, but LUSH... LUSH was SO REAL. I had a minor panic attack due to overwhelmingness. The spasms were continuous.
One of the best experiences I had on this trip was our little afternoon tea at SKETCH. I absolutely adored this place mainly because everything was pink! I wish I had decent quality photos to share with you guys, but the lighting was horrible so these photos don't do the place justice. While we were there, I ordered a vanilla tea and it turned out to be our table's favorite so we ended up ordering about 10 more pots for the next 3 hours! Mind you, we had tickets to "Miss Saigon" so the bladder struggle had never been so real. Alyssa, Steph and I were DYING to use the restroom during the first half of the show. By the time it was intermission we literally booked it to the toilets, pushing people out of the way. TAKE IT FROM ME FOLKS, DO NOT BOOK AFTERNOON TEA BEFORE A THEATER SHOW. NOPE. NEVER. DON'T. EVER. DO. IT.
We conversed and ate our little goodies and I'm not even sure what we talked about, but there was a lot of laughter which definitely makes these adventures so much more fun. We also saw Nicola Peltz and her brothers who didn't even have tea and were just taking selfies and a bunch of photos WITH THE FLASH ON for a good 30 minutes. I was totally judging them. I mean... way to ruin the vibe. SKETCH also has the most ridiculous bathrooms I have ever been in. They truly were something else. Basically, you step into a pod that makes animal noises while you pee... slightly odd, but still very cool.
No doubt was there a lot of walking. My feet wanted to fall off, but of course I had to suck it up because HELLO! There was no time to be weak. We visited a few museums, including the Natural History Museum which was just too big. We also went cycling through Hyde Park en route to Kensington Palace which was beautiful. The weather was perfect that day and I truly felt satisfied with life, not to get all serious... but I was content and very happy to be alive. It was the ultimate people watch destination. The English were sun bathing, having picnics, riding bikes, boat paddling... you name it. Sarah was so lucky to have lived in Kensington for 4 months.
We visited Notting Hill, found the famous Blue Door of course which is not shown here. We went to the Harry Potter Studios which gave me some serious feels since I grew up with the films. It was incredible to see the sets and the props that were used to help create this movie franchise.
After everything that we were able to do whilst in London, the one memory that I probably won't ever forget was when we were able to see the Royal Family. That was not on our itinerary, but when we went to Buckingham Palace a few days before, we saw all of these barricades being put up and had to ask what event was taking place. They told us it was the Trooping the Color ceremony which is the celebration of the Queen's Birthday and the Crowning Anniversary. It was something I'd never thought I'd be able to witness. You know how you watch things on television and think "oh, one day I'm going to see the Queen," but you don't actually expect it to happen? Well, it happened. Since I was a puny child, I always had this crush on the Princes. I mean... come on, who didn't? So I kind of freaked out... just a little bit.
However, London did feel a bit underwhelming. I think it was because I've wanted to visit there for so long that I had extremely high expectations, so when they weren't met, I was just a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was amazing, but you kind of still feel like you're in the states. More like New York City to be exact (The fact that you don't abide by the cross walk signs since most streets are one ways and you just cross whenever there are no cars. #LOCAL). I didn't really feel like I was in another country just because they are so up to date and the buildings are just as modern as the ones we have here at home.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU EXACTLY THE DIFFERENCES. Londoners definitely smoke waaaaaay more than Americans, well more than the people in Los Angeles. They drink A LOT. AND THEY SPORT IMPECCABLE OUTFITS. The whole drinking thing was so surprising to me. Right after work, people with their business suits (extremely hot business men AND women) would crowd the pubs (which are almost in every corner) and form these circles where they just surround their belongings on the ground. I thought that was pretty cool. As for the outfits. Oh my goodness gracious if men dressed like them here, the thirst would just never ever ever be quenched. And that my friends, is all I am going to say about that.
Well, this was a relatively long post. Not to mention, very messy. I honestly wasn't expecting to write much, so I apologize for rambling, but what can I say.. I had a great time. I have so many more photos in my iPhoto, but they're kind of basic so I'm not going to waste any more of your time. I also made a compilation of videos for your viewing so if you'd like to see some of the things I got up to that I didn't share on here feel free to watch the video below.
I hope you guys are just as blitheful as I am in this very moment even though it is scorching in LA right now. Like what Louis Cole says... "Peace out! Enjoy life! & live the adventure!"
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